"And you know, I've been through a lot in the past six days, five minutes, twenty seven and a half seconds. And if I've learned anything during that time, it's that you are who you are." -SpongeBob Squarepants; The SpongeBob Squarepants Movie
Waiting until the figures were close enough, Nova could start to see what they looked like. They were older looking men, one with red hair and the other with pale brown hair. Squinting her eyes, just a little, Nova could faintly make out what their outfits were, and when she did, her heart sunk. The armor. . . .they had been guards. A Buizel followed beside the redhead while an Altaria followed the other.
Nova's eyes widened in shock. The guards didn't seem to be stopping at any point, and their Pokémon seemed just as ready to continue their charge. What felt like a ton of bricks fell in the pit of Nova's stomach. Didn't they recognize her? That Buizel's Hydro Pump nearly got them! When Nova was able to see the expressions on their faces, that was when she realized it didn't matter if she were the Princess or not, they were going to attack her. They didn't care.
Don't hesitate, she thought, trying to brace herself. They had no problem attacking you, you shouldn't have any problems attacking them!
"Are you guys ready?" she exclaimed, looking between Pichu and Misdreavus. When the two Pokémon let out sounds of approval, a hint of a strained smirk came across Nova's face. "OK, then," she muttered. "Pichu! Use Thunder Shock on Buizel! Misdreavus! Use Shadow Ball on Altaria!"
Pichu released the most powerful Thunder Shock it could muster, hitting the guard's Buizel. Nova could hear Buizel's pained cries as the Electric type move hit it; thankfully, Nova's little knowledge on Pokémon moves and typing allowed her to know that Water types were weak against Electric types.
Misdreavus' Shadow Ball hit Altaria, causing the Humming Pokémon to be thrown back a few feet.
The guards stopped their approach to check on their Pokémon; Altaria looked like it had recovered after a moment, but for Buizel, it looked like it had gotten paralyzed. A sense of relief washed over Nova at that.
"Pichu, hit Buizel with another Thunder Shock!" Nova exclaimed. "Misdreavus, what else can you do?"
Bracing itself, Misdreavus let out a beam. A Psybeam. Misdreavus' attack hit Altaria head-on, and it looked like it caused a great deal of damage. Not only that, but Pichu's attack seemed to do the trick for Buizel; after that Thunder Shock hit again, Buizel had fainted. Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said for Altaria. The Humming Pokémon was quick to recover from the Psybeam, as well.
"Altaria, use Dragon Breath!" the guard exclaimed. At the same time, the other guard tried tending to Buizel's injuries, hoping there'd still be a chance it could try and attack. At that moment, that was when Nova realized just how close the guards and their Pokémon were; if she had the ability to hear them give out commands, they were far closer than Nova was comfortable with.
Not even a second after the guard's command, Altaria shot out its attack—aiming at Misdreavus—but missed by a hair's length.
"Misdreavus, use Psybeam again!" Nova exclaimed. "Pichu, use Thunder Shock!"
Misdreavus' Psybeam went out right as Pichu unleashed its Thunder Shock. The two moves seemed to combine before it hit Altaria, and when it did, the results were astonishing. The Thunder Shock and Psybeam seemed to enhance each other's effectiveness when it hit Altaria. The pained sound Altaria let out when the two moves hit almost made Nova's heart ache; but she had to keep reminding herself that the two Pokémon on the other side of her were the enemies.
After the attacks had ceased, there was some smoke that arose from Altaria's body as it hit the ground. It was too injured to fight.
The guards tried their best to get their Pokémon back at a healthy rate to keep battling, but when they realized they couldn't, they glared over at Nova and her Pokémon.
By that time, the rain was still falling hard, the thunder and lightning was echoing and flashing. Nova was drenched, so were Pichu and Misdreavus. Setting her jaw, Nova returned the guards' glares. "Guys, c'mon!" she exclaimed, motioning for her Pokémon to return to her. The guards couldn't follow without their Pokémon. That was the perfect opportunity.
Pichu jumped into the satchel while Misdreavus floated close by. Nova bolted down the other side of the field, hoping and praying she'd be able to do it one piece.
. . . .
"We can't seem to find her anywhere." A guard stood in the throne room, his eyes cast downward. "She's left with her Pichu. . . .and the crown."
Fingers tapped against the armrest of the main throne. A heaviness seemed to settle in the air, one that made the guard shift unconsciously.
"How was she able to leave with the crown?"
Swallowing thickly, the guard straightened his shoulders, trying to look as calm and collected as possible. "We believe someone helped her," he responded. "There's no way she could've escaped without us noticing."
A hum in response. "Well, she escaped and none of you worthless guards managed to find her!"
"T-The servant!" the guard stammered. "The servant might know."
"Livia." A sigh. "There's a possibility she may have helped. She's got a soft spot for the Princess."
"Should I. . . .Should I retrieve her?"
A brief pause. "Why not?" Before the guard could leave, he was hailed. "You've got Pokémon, yes?"
"Uhm. . . .yes, ma'am."
"What do you have?"
"An Empoleon and a Hoothoot."
"Bring out your Hoothoot," was the reply. "Your Empoleon will be used as a backup."
. . . .
Nova ran, slipped, tripped, stumbled, and sprinted as far as she possibly could. Misdreavus stayed close to her, Pichu had its head poked out of the satchel, as if it were keeping watch. Nova had no clue where she was going, only that she needed to get far away. She needed to protect Misdreavus and Pichu as well as herself.
Just keep moving! she thought. You have to keep moving.
Despite her lungs burning from the lack of oxygen, and her legs being sore from running and tripping, Nova knew better than to stop. If she stopped, she wasn't sure she'd be able to keep going.
After what felt like a lifetime, Nova decided she needed to stop. She could hardly breathe, and her legs felt like they were about to give way. Her breathing was beyond ragged; it hurt with each breath Nova took, but she was starting to feel a little better. Blinking rapidly, Nova tried to see beyond the rain and possible sweat that fell on her eyelashes, making it difficult to see. She wasn't even in the field anymore. There were a few trees here and there, some bushes and a bit of undergrowth, but it wasn't anything too severe.
"Where are we?" she asked, her breathing still ragged. Misdreavus floated around, looking a little confused. Pichu's head was still poking out of the satchel, looking a little hesitant. Nova took her time studying her surroundings; she couldn't really see any sort of path, which made her a little uneasy. "We'll just have to keep walking."
Misdreavus gently nudged Nova's shoulder, looking at her anxiously. 'We should rest.'
"If we keep moving, we'll be able to outrun those creeps." Despite her hoarse voice, Nova tried to put as much determination in it as possible. Taking a few breaths, Nova closed her eyes for a moment to prepare herself. Opening her eyes was the hard part. Nova hadn't slept at all the night before; then she'd spent a majority of the day trying to figure out a way to find some kind of safety from whatever was going on at the kingdom. Feeling her body sway a little, Nova quickly shook her head, trying to rid herself of the exhaustion that was overtaking her. "Just a little further," she murmured.
. . . .
The kingdom of Meridian was one that promoted the bonds shared between people and Pokémon. It was that special bond that kept everything running smoothly. Without it, Meridian wouldn't be able to function. That was how the kingdom came to be. According to legends, hundreds and hundreds of years ago, a Princess named Merida was able to work together with two Legendary Pokémon to stop a war that would have certainly destroyed the land. The two feuding sides eventually came to an agreement, and after years of settling, Meridian came into existence.
Pokémon and humans, working together instead of fighting. That had been Merida's lesson to those involved. Even with two Legendary Pokémon at her disposal, she didn't once have either of them attack. She showed the feuding sides the harmony of working together. That motto stuck with the inhabitants of the growing kingdom for centuries afterward.
That was what Nova absolutely loved about her home. The unity. At least, what looked like unity to her. Nova's parents, Erik and Diana, kept her sheltered for the most part; despite the Princess' best intentions in wanting to learn more about the politics and how to handle any wrongdoers. Her parents wouldn't allow it, which made Nova's frustration grow. Then, when Livia wouldn't allow any kind of information, that just added to the frustration. Nova wanted to be a great ruler, just like her parents. They'd instilled the best values they could possibly allow into their only daughter, hoping she'd become the greatest Queen she could be. Nova thought that meant knowing absolutely every detail about everything.
"When you're older, you'll be able to know," Diana had said, smiling warmly at her daughter. "For now, don't worry. Your father and I will handle it."
Seems like I may not be able to know after all. Shaking her head, Nova felt a pang of guilt build inside of her. She couldn't allow herself to be thinking like that. It wouldn't benefit anyone in the long run.
Letting out a sigh, Nova looked around. She had resorted to a nice steady walk, hopefully to get to wherever she could before nightfall. She was exhausted, filthy, hungry, and a bit disoriented. The heavy rainfall had resorted to a nice, light rain; almost like a drizzle. The thunder and lightning had gone away, much to Nova's relief.
Brushing some of her black hair out of her face, Nova let out a breath. She'd gotten through two obstacles. She could hopefully handle whatever else was thrown her way.
(A/N):
I know, I know—this chapter took too long to post! I was going to have it up sooner, but I had school and homework I needed to do first, so I focused on that for a little bit. But was this chapter good? Was it bad? Was it meh? Be sure to let me know!
Do I own Pokémon? No. No I don't.
Tell me if there's anything in this chapter that confuses you.
Thanks.
Kaia Milligan